Incubator · Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

STEP IIT Kharagpur

Incubator at IIT Kharagpur, set up in 1986, offering physical and virtual incubation for technology startups and small prototype grants for innovators from anywhere in India, with land at Gopali for agri-based startups.

Status unknown Run by Science and Technology Entrepreneurs' Park, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding
not published Prototype grants (2025 call): up to ₹2 lakh for proof of concept or prototypes and up to ₹5 lakh for product development, with more considered for higher-TRL proposals
Instrument
Grant
Equity taken
not published Under the 2025 grant terms, projects below ₹2 lakh carry no equity; ₹2-5 lakh projects may involve 2.5-5% shareholding, rising to 8-10% above ₹10 lakh
Programme fee
not published
Duration
not published
Cohort size
not published
Cohorts
not published
Delivery
Hybrid
Stages
Idea, pre-seed
Sectors
Climate, Energy, Health tech, Agrifood, Edtech, Mobility
Open to founders from
India
Perks
  • 20,000 sq ft of incubation space (offices and industrial sheds)
  • 127-acre site at Gopali for agri-based startups
  • Mentorship
  • R&D facilities

Incubation applications go through a form with business plan, a presentation to a committee and an incubation agreement. Grant projects run up to 9 months (proof of concept) or 12 months (product development). Thrust areas include climate resilience, renewable energy, healthcare, education, agriculture, mobility, water and space technology.

Application dates

Status unknown

Dates not published.

Who can apply

  • Incubation: technology-based startups
  • Prototype grants: Indian citizens or Indian startups with an innovative idea or research output
  • Prototype grants are open to innovators from anywhere in India
  • Stage: idea, pre-seed

What founders should check

  1. Equity: Under the 2025 grant terms, projects below ₹2 lakh carry no equity; ₹2-5 lakh projects may involve 2.5-5% shareholding, rising to 8-10% above ₹10 lakh. Ask for the exact stake before you accept a place.
  2. It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
  3. It mixes remote and in-person sessions in Kharagpur. Ask how much time on site it expects.
  4. Dates for the next cohort are not published.

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